Marcolian
Beginners Guide

Cathy Noble Deck

Written By

freetipscout

October 23, 2024

Noble decks take the peasant format to the next level by including Rare cards in addition to Common and Uncommon cards in the deck build.

In the case of Cathy, we’ve chosen to go with a Noble deck to take full advantage of some Rare cards that synergise strongly with the lower rarity cards to create a powerful winning formula for the Marco player.

Deck can be found here

In contrast to the Lemi Peasant deck which had 21 cards available to be played on turn one and 29 units included within the deck of 40 cards, you can see that our Cathy Noble deck has a much more balanced distribution of cards across the energy costs of 1-5 and fewer units too.

The strategy with this type of deck is to focus on playing Effects and supporting these plays with units which gain a buff, trigger an ability or deal damage after an effect has been played.

The goal here just as it was for the Lemi deck is to win the game as quickly as possible but instead of focusing on building a wide board, we are aiming to do as much damage directly to the opponent through effects.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the key cards within this deck so we can understand the overall play strategy and where our win conditions come from.

Early Game Cards

Just like in the Lemi Peasant deck, the Marcolian Bannerman is once again a strong card to be played early in a game and is especially potent in this Cathy Noble deck.

That’s because a Bannerman played on the first turn that survives for the second turn can then be buffed to become at least a 2/3 unit if one effect is played on turn two.

The Bannerman is also a great card to be played as the second unit in a turn because Cathy’s passive will buff the Bannerman for +1/+1 making it an even bigger problem for the opponent to deal with!

The soldier who shoots first and asks questions later is back to inflict more damage to yourself and the opponent!

Although the Trigger Happy Trooper doesn’t share any synergies with Effects, his early game damage is exactly what this aggro deck needs to apply pressure on the opponent from turn one.

Don’t despair if you can’t play the Trooper on the first turn because his kamikaze ability to trigger Assault coupled with his low cost of 1 means he’s still an excellent option to play on turn two in Cathy.

The Mercenary Gunslinger is the last 1 cost unit in this Cathy deck and because of his low stats and lack of synergy with Effects his main job here is to finish off dying units or trigger Assault so more powerful cards provide a benefit in the battle.

When played from a Catherine’s Rallying Cry (see Effect Cards) the Gunslinger can be used to control the game better depending on the situation.

But as a general rule of thumb, you will want to play either the Bannerman or the Trooper ahead of the Gunslinger if you have the option in the early game.

Reinforcing the Marcolian ranks as part of the new Planetfall expansion set is the Artillery Spotter who can pinpoint attacks with devastating accuracy.

Once an Effect is played the Spotter confirms a strike by dealing 2 damage to the opponent directly so getting multiple copies of this card down in a game can prove to be a deadly combination.

Don’t worry about the Spotter’s attack of 0 as your objective is to get this unit down and play as many effects as possible to trigger a string of life-sapping strikes before your opponent has time to blink!

Determined Assault is a card that can be used at any point in the game but in a Cathy deck it offers great value in the early game by removing big threats the opponent is playing on the board.

Playing this on turn two to remove units clears the way for a Catherine’s Rallying Cry to be played on turn three so your own units are played on the board with very little unit opposition in place.

When this Effect is paired up with the Fleet Support it can also act as a powerful finishing move that your opponent will simply have no answer to.

Control the board and you control the game right? Well not quite for a Cathy Noble deck which favours direct damage over board supremacy but it’s still a good strategy to stop your opponent’s efforts to control the game when you can.

The PS-8 allows this Cathy deck to play its own low-cost units and still remove threats at the same time.

For example, when played with a Spotter and a Bannerman on the field, the PS-8 has the potential to remove a unit, buff the Bannerman AND hit the opponent for 2 which is a potent effects cocktail!

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Mid Game Cards

Cathy’s ability to inspire allies in battle no matter what the odds, is why she is one of the most feared leaders in the galaxy and her Rallying Cry is an essential part of this deck’s strategy to win.

Calling onto the battlefield two random units with a cost of 2 or less from your deck ensures Cathy keeps the pressure on your opponent with wave after wave of enemies for them to fight.

Catherine’s Rallying Cry is not only a strong card to play on-curve but also a potentially game winning card when played with a Fleet Support on the board.

Vigilant Patrol is another powerful new addition to the game following the Planetfall expansion set. 

While this unit doesn’t share any synergies with Effects, it does offer high damage potential and combo plays with the Iron Corps Quartermaster who we’ll talk about next.

As part of an elite squadron that seeks out hidden enemies when engaging in combat, the Vigilant Patrol gains +2 to attack and +1 to health once three enemy bank cards are revealed. 

Meaning once it’s deployed on the battlefield, the opponent must find an answer to it, and quickly.

The Iron Corps Quartermaster and Vigilant Patrol are units that both rely on enemy banked cards being revealed in order to trigger benefits for the controlling player.

When Vigilant Patrol deals combat damage, an enemy banked card is revealed and the Quartermaster returns Effects from your waste when enemy bank cards are revealed so these two units synergise strongly together.

Being able to return Effects into your hand is a crucial strategy for success in any Cathy deck.

Effect Cards

Triumph’s are incredibly powerful Effects in the game with the very real potential to swing battles in your favour when played correctly and the Triumph of Mars stands out as one of the best.

The Triumph of Mars should ideally be played when your hand is close to empty so you can draw more cards than what you had and be in a position to play those cards that turn with the reduced cost.

This strategy allows Cathy players to find those all important cards to maintain high pressure on the opponent and possibly even find a way to win the game before they have a chance to respond.

For years the rumours spread of a weapon within the Marcolian fleet so devastating that its power was even feared by those who gave birth to such a technology.

They say the weapons of war will always outlast the ways of man and the Orbital Strike is not only a testament of that but serves as a horrifying reminder to those who would dare stand in the way of the Marcolian race.

When this weapon goes off, be somewhere else.

The Crack Shot is one of the must-have cards in any Marco deck and especially in a Cathy deck.

This Effect is arguably one of the best value cards in Parallel when you consider how little it costs to play versus the level of damage it deals and in a Cathy deck like this the value is even greater.

That’s because its cost not only allows for more effects to be played in a turn but with the Quartermaster’s ability to bring this card back again and again you can have a Crack Shot party that the opponent won’t enjoy being invited to!

Technical Cards

The Marcolians pride themselves upon the ideals of power, order and military precision and no other squadron embodies those more than the famed Fleet Support.

When the battle rages on the ground, the skies cloud over with the screeching masses of this laser firing platoon and the enemy all too often know their arrival signals the end.

Under the leadership of Cathy, the Fleet Support are merciless as the first Effect played each turn is copied and played once more, so the enemy can truly comprehend their attempts to fight are futile.

You’ll notice that the Saboteur isn’t included in our Cathy Noble deck as we’ve opted for no relic removal here but this is a staple card which you should consider adding to most of your own decks if relic removal is an important strategy for you.

The Saboteur is a master of disruption and espionage who operates almost exclusively from the shadows bringing chaos to enemy operations.

A specialist at destroying relics which are significant to the enemy, he can also join the fight after his sabotaging exploits to help bring about victory for his chosen side.

With just one copy of Improvised Tactics in our Cathy deck, this card serves a purpose in those rare situations where you need to search for better options than what you hold in your hand.

Ideally used after Assault has been triggered so you can draw 2 cards and keep both instead of having to discard a card from your hand.

While the Triumph of Mars should act as your main way to search for cards, don’t forget to use the Quartermaster to bring Improvised Tactics back should you need it a second time around.

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